Ministry of Youth and Sports is preparing an official reception ceremony for the national handball team when they return from Spain, for their excellent and distinguished performance in Men’s Junior World Handball Championship in which they won the bronze medal following a 37-27 victory over Portugal in the third-place playoff on Sunday. The national team mission will return home on Tuesday morning.

The Pharaohs produced some impressive displays in the tournament, repeating the 1999 achievement when they won bronze against France.

Egypt managed to qualify for the knockout rounds after topping group B following five wins from five against the likes of Sweden, France, South Korea, Nigeria, and Australia, becoming the first non-European team to win all their group matches since 2009.

They then managed to beat Serbia and Norway in the round of 16 and quarter-finals respectively to face their group opponents France once again.

However, France had the upper hand and defeated Egypt 35-33, depriving the Pharaohs of the chance to reach their first final since 1993 when they made history by winning the trophy at home.

Liverpool’s star Mohamed Salah congratulated the national handball team for winning bronze. “Congratulations to Egypt’s handball team. A great and usual achievement of the Egyptian handball. Good luck,” Salah said on Twitter.

Hisham Nasr, head of the Egyptian Handball Federation, said, “There is a great honouring awaiting the Pharaohs after winning the bronze in the world championship in Spain.”

Nasr said in a press statement that the details of the honouring ceremony will be announced later after the return of the team from Spain.

He praised the team, led by coach Tarek Mahrous, stressing that “they met the high expectations of the Egyptian people.”

“Those players are the hope of the Egyptian handball, and we expect them to make a great achievement for Egypt in the 2021 World Men’s Handball Championship in Cairo,” he added.

He pointed out that “this generation succeeded in reviving the love of handball in the hearts of Egyptians.”